Waycross, GA - The Walker Jones 75 at Waycross Motor Speedway
developed into a duel of Champions that went right down to the final
turn of the last lap. 1995 National Late Model Sportsman Series
Champion Skip Pannell outdueled 1996 NLMS Series Champion Ivedent
Lloyd in a thrilling finish to an action packed race. For the Albany,
GA driver the win marked his return from the asphalt wars of NASCAR's
Slim Jim All- Pro Series and to the Winner's Circle. Driving the
Charles Cowart owned Green Flag/Twister/ Blue Lake
Construction/Leonard Thornton Enterprises/Cowart Construction
Chevrolet Pannell was able to withstand a furious charge by Lloyd over
the closing laps and take the checkered flag for the first time in
more than a year on the highly competitive Southern Dirt Tour. For
Lloyd the second place finish was the culmination of a thrilling
charge through the field from his ninth starting position as the Koury
Racing Engines/Snow Brothers Racing Chevrolet sliced his way the front
and then hounded Pannell for the last 15 laps of the race. Finishing
in third spot and padding his lead in the 1997 NLMS Series Points was
Valdosta, GA driver Gene Maine in the Bennett Bros/ Russell Brown/
Ives Racing Chevrolet. Not only did Pannell pick up the $4,000 winner
check, but he also qualified for the $2,500 bonus to be awarded at the
end of the season at the "Showdown on the Coast" at Brunswick, GA's
Golden Isle Speedway on November 1st.

"That was a tough one," Pannell commented later. "It took four or five
laps for our car to hook up and get going. I knew Ivedent (Lloyd)
would make that final try to get by, but we were so tight I doubt he
could have spun me out. He raced me clean all night and even backed
out when he touched me coming out of four on the last lap. This is a
much needed win for the Blue Lake Racing Team."

The cars of Mike Carter and Wendell Durrance were eliminated from
competition before a lap was officially in the books. Carter hit the
backstretch wall and Durrance broke his transmission before one lap
could be completed. Once the race got underway, Cecil Eunice of
Blackshear, GA took the early lead from his pole position with Brant
right behind him and Pannell, Maine, and Chuck Chitty all running in
the top five. Lloyd immediately started picking of cars in a
methodical run to the front and by the seventh lap he was into the top
five. Behind the leaders there was also plenty of action as positions
were being swapped at every lap and every position was being
contested. Eunice was able to open a three car-length lead over Brant
in the opening laps, but as Brant got his rhythm down he soon began to
close the gap. Pannell was right behind Brant and looking for a way
around the Pooler, GA series stalwart while at the same time fending
off the charges of Maine in fourth.

Brant soon reeled Eunice in and on lap 16 he went to the inside in
turn two and took the lead. Pannell was able to follow Brant through
the hole and relegated the erstwhile leader to third. The front four
of Brant, Pannell, Eunice and Maine now opened a three car-length lead
on the pack, but the car on the move was that of Tracy Walden. Walden,
who had suffered engine problems in practice, was piloting the Morris
Drake owned car in attempt to maintain his position in the
points. When Chitty slid high in turn four, Walden was there to dip to
the inside and take the fifth spot. Lloyd, having slipped a couple of
spots moved back into sixth and was challenging Walden for fifth.

Brant soon began to show signs of getting loose in the corners, and on
lap 21 he slipped in turn four and Pannell shot to the inside to
become the third leader of the race. A lap later Maine stuck his nose
inside Eunice and took the third spot away from the veteran. Walden
was the next to take advantage of Eunice's loose race car as he
slipped under him on lap 26 and Lloyd quickly followed suit. The
running order at the front now had Pannell in the lead with Brant
second, Maine third, Walden fourth, and Lloyd fifth. Eunice was using
his many years of experience to hold on to sixth with Chitty, also
battling a loose condition in seventh. Henry Carter Jr, the top points
man in the Rookie of the Year race, Everett Phillips and Gene Ross
rounding out the top ten.

The popular viewpoint before the race was that the track would tighten
up during the race, but instead it was becoming looser and many cars
soon became affected by various stages of a loose race car. Walden was
the next of the front-runners to suffer that malady as he began to
slide high in the corners and Lloyd was pressuring him at every turn
Lloyd tried to pass on the high side and then used the low line to get
past and take the position on lap 31. Walden then spun on the 34th
lap, which put him back to the rear of the pack. Maine now advanced
into second as he got under Brant, and with Walden's spin Eunice was
now back in the top five as the race approached the halfway point.

Pannell had now opened up a six car-length lead over Maine, but Lloyd
was coming fast as he slid below Brant on lap 35 and began to pressure
Maine. As the race headed into the second half, battles were taking
place all around the track. Billy Godowns Jr saw his run towards the
leaders stopped when he slid high in turn three allowing Gene Ross and
Tracy Mimbs to make the pass. Lloyd was able to make the pass on Maine
on lap 57 and took off after Pannell. He quickly closed the gap,
dragging Maine with him and by lap 70 he was right on the rear bumper
of the leader. Catching Pannell and passing him are two different
things, and Pannell was up to the challenge. Lloyd looked high and
low, then with just a few laps left he backed off slightly, and cooled
his tire for a final charge. As the cars took the white flag Lloyd
again tried to dive low going into turn one, and again looked low
coming out of turn two. The two cars roared down the back straight
nose-to-tail, and Lloyd drove hard into turn three and held the low
line, as the cars began to exit turn four he punched the gas and tried
once again to get inside the leader, His car slid up the track
slightly and Lloyd's nose contacted the left rear of Pannell causing
Lloyd to lift slightly and giving Pannell the impetus down the front
stretch and to the checkered flag.

The weekend got off to a fast start with Lloyd blistering the track in
17.809 seconds for an average speed of 101.072 mph around the 1/2 mile
semi banked oval to set the fast time in qualifying. Of the 28 cars
that made qualifying attempts during time trials, 23 of them were
within one second of Lloyd's time. In the heat races, wins went to
Cecil Eunice, Ricky Brant, Wendell Durrance and Pannell. Mark Padgett
and Andy Stewart captured wins in the Consolation races. Of the 25
cars that started the race, seventeen of them were still running at
the checkered flag, 16 of those on the lead lap. The race was marred
by eight cautions for 39 laps.